Control
by Pixel.the.Square
Summary: About 3 years ago, Naruto lost control of himself, and he paid dearly for it. Now he is living his life, trying to forget that day. But there are others who haven't let the past lie. One is seeking revenge on Naruto, but not before bringing a few other people down. (Naruto AU) Rated T for violence and language.
It was a beautiful day outside. Bird songs drifted over the city nearby, straying into any open ears that cared to hear them. The warmth of the sun brushing the skin of those who were outside, its contact only interrupted by the occasional cloud. It was such a nice day, and Naruto Uzumaki was walking near the village headed towards nothing in particular.

He paid little attention to the sights that passed him by. It was a rest day, his day to relax. If anything else, his pointless wanderings prevented a certain someone from finding him. He understood her concern more than anyone else, but it was trying at times. He had been back in Konoha for a few weeks, and it was safe. And on top of that, he'd been training just as hard as she had, hadn't he?

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind. Naruto never let anger exist within himself for more than 30 seconds if he could help it. He couldn't afford to lose control, not after last time. His hand moved unconsciously to his face, towards his eyes. He touched his headband, which had been pulled down like Kakashi's over his left eye. It was missing, just as it had been for years.

Yet he could not be mad at that incident. Despite what happened, he was thankful for it. It snapped him out of his depression, re-igniting his will. He had a purpose because of that night. His hand fell from his headband.

"Naruto!" A familiar voice called out. He'd stopped walking too long. Instinctively, Naruto threw on his best smile.

"Sorry about that Sakura, I just felt like taking a walk. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He wasn't lying to her; all he really had wanted was a walk, some alone time.

"You shouldn't leave like that," She chastised him. "What if something happened?" Naruto's safety was, of course, her main concern.

"I was just on my way back…" Naruto crossed his arms and looked away, adding an exaggerated, "Hmph!" Sakura chuckled. Naruto cracked a smile. It was his habit. Every time he tried to pretend to be mad, he just ended up laughing. Seeing Sakura happy especially made Naruto happy. Sakura shifted, biting her lip.

"Naruto… you know what day it is today, don't you?" She always had been bad at masking her worry. Naruto gave her a blank stare for a moment.

"Uh…" He closed his eyes, rubbing his chin. Why did she have to ask about days? Naruto still wasn't able to remember dates very well. Eventually he just shrugged.

"It's the day the Akatsuki are supposed to start hunting you." Naruto's smile was wiped from his face. He could already see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Sakura…" He knew her expression. He'd seen her use it once, long ago. It was one of concern, fear, and perhaps a little bit of despair. He reached out to her. She snatched up his hand, looking him directly in the eyes.

"I just don't want to lose you too. Promise me…" She stumbled over her words through the tears. "Promise me you won't leave?" It was a question, yet he knew he couldn't refuse.

"I promise Sakura. It's a promise of a lifetime." So familiar.

"Thank you, Naruto." She wiped the tears from her eyes. She embraced Naruto, burying her face into his shoulder. He hesitated. It just didn't feel right, not after what he'd done. But he couldn't bring himself to not do it. He felt he owed it to her, just as he owed her that promise.

"Come on Sakura, let's go back." Naruto said. Sakura pulled herself out of his shoulder, and nodded. They began walking. Sakura maintained a polite distance, yet her eyes were constantly scanning the trees, as if she were expecting someone to pop out brandishing a kunai at any moment. Naruto kept his eyes directed on the path ahead as he tried to ignore Sakura's paranoia.

Finally they reached the actual village, and Sakura let out a sigh of relief. The sun had long since began its descent towards the ground in the distance, and now it wouldn't be long until they met. Naruto and Sakura were about to part ways when Sai approached them.

"Hello." He gave them his false smile. Sakura returned the favor with a smile of her own, and Naruto gave him a half smile. He was still adjusting to Sai. An awkward silence hung in the air.

"So…" Sakura started, trying to keep the conversation from dying so soon, "have you had dinner yet?"

"Yes, I like to eat dinner early. Keeping a schedule is good." Another pause. Sakura motioned at Sai in a decidedly not subtle manner. He looked confused for a moment before catching on. "Ahh. Naruto, have you had dinner?"

"Eh, I was gonna go to Ichiraku's." He mumbled, trying to avoid looking at Sai for more than a few seconds at a time.

"You shouldn't eat ramen all the time." Sai remarked. "You won't stay healthy that way." He sat there, looking innocent.

"Hey you!..." Naruto began yelling before he caught himself. "You should know that today's my rest day. Ichiraku's is my reward for working hard all week." He knew that he needed to make an effort with Sai. He wasn't normal. "Do you want to get some with me sometime? As friends?" He hoped the last part would entice him. Naruto noticed Sakura glancing at him and smiling. "And you can come too, Sakura!" He added, smiling back.

"Why not?" Sakura said. Sai wasn't smiling anymore. His eyes were focused on Naruto. Sakura looked at him. "Come on Sai, it's actually pretty good."

"You know it is!" Naruto added. "We could go right now even!" He was actually smiling.

"Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt." Sai said after a moment. And with that, the trio headed towards Ichiraku's. It was a quiet walk compared to the bout of earlier conversation, but Naruto couldn't be happier. Sakura was glad to see him making progress with Sai, and he seemed to actually be happy.

Soon they were seated with three bowls of ramen on the table before them. The silence that pervaded their walk over had yet to leave the trio. Instead they sat there, fixated upon the hypnotic spirals of steam that rose out of the bowls. Finally, Sakura broke the silence.

"So… Sai, what do you like to do in your free time?" He lifted his chopsticks as if they were made of glass, tapping them against the table to ensure they were even in his hand.

"Just drawing, really. Keeps my mind clear." As with most of his answers, it cut straight to the point. "And you, Naruto?"

"I just take walks." He replied with Sai's same attitude before shoving his first bite into his mouth. It was somehow going worse than he envisioned. Why had he thought this was a good idea? He used another bite of ramen to deflect conversation away from him.

"Interesting." Sai gave him a smile before directing his attention to his own bowl. Sakura's shoulders slumped and she joined Naruto and Sai in consuming the noodles.

They ate in silence, sort of. Sai was the picture of grace, lifting the exact amount of food that would fit in his mouth with his chopsticks. His manners were flawless, down to the dab of a napkin. Sakura exhibited only slightly less skill and grace. Naruto, however, was slurping noodles up at an alarming rate, splashing his companions with broth if they got too close. Within about 10 minutes, Naruto was patting his belly, satisfied by the meal. It was at this moment that a fourth person joined their team dinner.

"I knew you liked to eat here, but today I guess I hit the jackpot. Something's come up and I need to talk to all of you." Jiraiya left some yen for their meal and motioned for them to follow. They got up slowly and followed him out the door.

"What's going on? Is it about the Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. He knew Jiraiya was serious. He wasn't one to come looking for people.

"Is it about Naruto?" Sakura was focused on him, as always. Jiraiya was less so and waved his hand dismissively at the trio behind him.

"I'll answer all your questions when we reach our destination. This isn't the place for discussion." Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances at this new information. They could only trail Jiraiya in silence as he led them towards the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was waiting for them when they entered. Jiraiya shut the door and cast his eyes around the room before letting them fall on Tsunade. Even Naruto noted the single paper in front of Tsunade, obviously set aside.

"What's he doing here?" She asked.

"It can't wait,' weren't those your exact words? He happened to be with them, and I couldn't wait for him to leave. And he's a part of the team."

"Fine…" Tsunade glared at him. "But this stays in this room, and if anyone finds out that isn't supposed to…" She turned her gaze to Sai, who nodded.

"So what's this about, Granny?" Naruto took advantage of the lull. Tsunade picked up the paper in front of her and gave it to Naruto without a word.

 _The organization is moving. The sand is first. Puppet and Bomb._

That was all that was written upon it. Naruto put two and two together and struggled to maintain a straight face. It was passed to his teammates before it was placed back on Tsunade's desk.

"That is the message Jiraiya received early this morning. I'm sure you all figured out what this means." She remained firm, fingers laced and elbows resting on the table before her.

"But what if it's a trap, trying to lead us away from the real target? We don't know who sent it or even if it's reliable!" Sakura was the first to point out the problems with the note. Tsunade closed her eyes.

"Those would be issues, but there's some things about this note." She held it up. "This is a decrypted version of it. It was written in an old ANBU cipher from about 7 or 8 years ago."

"A cipher that old? But who would use that?" Naruto asked.

"We have some ideas, but that's not important at this time. Jiraiya received a note similar to this one about 3 years ago, shortly before you left. On it was info about the Akatsuki not moving for three years, which Jiraiya's network later confirmed."

"Even I can tell you that's not enough to trust this note." Sai interjected, his usual attitude returning.

"I agree," Jiraiya added, "but at the same time we can't ignore the possibility that it's completely false. The evidence is too strong to completely ignore this."

"These last words," Tsunade cut in, "puppet and bomb' seem to indicate who is being sent. We've decided to send Kakashi as part of a team to try and stop them." Naruto began to say something before she cut him off. "But, this is the Akatsuki, and even Kakashi knows he can't hope to handle them alone. And this is where you come in. Sakura and Sai-" Tsunade was cut off by Naruto slamming his hands on her desk.

"You better not let them-" He stopped as Tsunade held up her hand.

"Were going to be the only two, but I knew you'd protest and probably go anyway if I tried to stop you." Naruto's anger ebbed away like the tide at these words. "But," she added, "I'm sending someone with you. His name is Yamato, and he has a certain skill that will help should anything happen."

"Thank you." Relief washed over Naruto. He stood up straighter; his smile grew wider. He was glad to know there were precautions being taken.

"There's something else, Naruto." Jiraiya added. "This is a test run for you, to see both how you've progressed and how you'll handle the Akatsuki."

"Huh?" Naruto folded his arms and looked at Jiraiya. Sakura bit her lip, preparing herself.

"Remember that incident a few years ago?" Tsunade asked. "There are _some_ people that think you shouldn't be going out on missions." Naruto's jaw clenched. "Should anything get too out of hand on this mission, you won't be able to chase the Akatsuki anymore."

"So I'm to be treated like a beast?" Naruto asked. "If I can't be controled they'll lock me up?" A flash of crimson against blue.

"Naruto." Jiraiya but his hand on his shoulder. "Tsunade is sticking her neck out for you. Just remember, as long as you don't get too out of hand it'll be fine."

"Yeah," Sakura added, putting her hand on his other shoulder. "I'll be there to help."

"We'll be there," Sai corrected, placing his hand on Naruto's upper arm.

"Thanks, guys." Everyone let their hand fall from his body, except for Sai, who took a few seconds longer to realize the moment was over.

"Jiraiya has already briefed Kakashi, so he'll fill you in while you travel." Tsunade broke the silence. "Now go get some sleep, all of you. You're heading out for Suna in the morning." And with that, the trio left.

When they were out of earshot, Jiraiya spoke up. "Is it really a good idea to send him out there? Who knows what could happen?"

"Jiraiya, I've already made my decision. He's in good hands, and Yamato is there in case Sai does something."

"Stubborn as always. But I'm more concerned about him." He looked at the note on the desk.

"I wouldn't worry about him right now. If your guess is correct, then it'll be a long time before he moves against Naruto." Jiraiya went to protest further but she waved him off. "Now get out, I have a lot of paperwork to do." He knew there wasn't anything else he could do in this case, and obliged.

Meanwhile Naruto and Sakura walked together in the general direction of their homes. Sai had almost immediately parted with them when they got outside. Sakura was desperate to say something, anything to Naruto as they walked in the moonlight. Yet nothing came to her. Naruto wasn't inclined to talk either, so she didn't push it. They just remained happy being in each other's presence. But eventually they were forced to part ways, and Sakura kept casting glances back at him until he was out of sight.

Naruto flopped into his bed as soon as he entered his apartment. He wished it didn't have to be this way on his first real mission in years. He rolled onto his back, looking sideways at his night stand. It didn't have anything on it, except for a Konoha headband with a diagonal slash upon it. He turned away from it quickly, and rolled over to avoid looking at it before falling asleep.

 **A/N: The exact changes are being kept secret intentionally. I've left a large amount of clues as to what happened so that you, the readers, can figure it out.**


End file.
